FINALLY got it done, first KS buck 2014 season
Been hunting NE Kansas for 6 years now averaging probably 15 to 20 days a season in the NE Kansas woods. I have taken a few doe, but the bucks keep eluding me. Either I passed on younger, smaller bucks, or the big ones did not cooperate, or I screwed up the opportunities I had with the nice bucks. The first picture is a buck that I saw last year at about 150 yards with two doe. They were cutting across the corn field and he paid very little attention to me as I grunted, Snort-wheezed, and all but yodeled at him trying to get him to come my way, but as I suspected, he followed the doe across the field into the neighbors place. Neighbor shot him the very next day, still with the two doe….
170+ non typical THIS IS NOT ME!!
That is kinda how my luck has run……
UNTIL this year. It was the second week of November, the Rutt was in full swing. It was a morning hunt and I was sitting one of my favorite stands, a very scenic spot in the corner of crop field (cut beans this year) with a small creek running behind me.
I had a buck decoy and a couple doe decoy out in front of me. It was a chilly morning (low teens) I am sitting in the stand for the pics.
I just had finished a rattling sequence a few minutes previous. I thought I heard a noise above the babbling creek and thought,, “you know Greg, that just may be the sound of a buck thrashing some brush, you have screwed up enough opportunities, you had better get ready”. I slowly stood and got my bow in my hand. Gave a soft grunt, and heard the noise again, and then it stopped. Waiting, straining to hear, and caught movement through the brush about 80 yards in the direction I had been hearing the noise, just a flash of brown, was not even sure it was a deer. A few seconds later he appears across the fence, just where the creek makes the bend in the top of the picture. I take a quick look and decide immediately he is a mature shooter, probably an 8 pt, maybe a 10 ,but do not allow myself to look at his antlers again. He jumps the fence and moves towards me along the creek. At about 40 yards he turns toward the field, following a trail, and as he crests the ridge, spots the decoys. He stops for a few seconds looking intently, I give a soft, muffled grunt and he bristles and goes into the classic dominant posture and starts towards the decoys. He is at 30 yards, the outside edge of where I like taking a shot but practice at 40 regularly to make these shots easier. When he clears the brush for a clean shot at his vitals I mouth grunt to make his stop. I take the shot, he leg kicks and takes off past the decoys headed across the cut bean field. After a few seconds and about 50 yards, he slows, wobbles, and goes down!!!! My first KS buck after 6 years of trying and he goes down within sight and goes no more than 65 yards!!! I am ELATED!!!!!!
I give him a few minutes to make sure he is really expired, while I am texting my hunting buddies. My buddies ask how many points and I have to say " I have no clue, I never looked after the first glance, did not want to freak out"
10 minutes of no movement, confirmed no chest movement/ breathing by binocular, I climb down and approach. He is down for the count and has expired! Turns out he broke off part of his main beam on the right side but was/would have been a nice 8 pt. I was still stoked. The batteries were dead in my camera, and my phone died in the cold after the texts I sent so I did the best I could coaxing my buddy to get a decent LDP. Not a great pic but the best I ended up with.
Not a 170" KS toad but a very nice buck that I am very proud of.
CAN’T wait until next season!!
170+ non typical THIS IS NOT ME!!
That is kinda how my luck has run……
UNTIL this year. It was the second week of November, the Rutt was in full swing. It was a morning hunt and I was sitting one of my favorite stands, a very scenic spot in the corner of crop field (cut beans this year) with a small creek running behind me.
I had a buck decoy and a couple doe decoy out in front of me. It was a chilly morning (low teens) I am sitting in the stand for the pics.
I just had finished a rattling sequence a few minutes previous. I thought I heard a noise above the babbling creek and thought,, “you know Greg, that just may be the sound of a buck thrashing some brush, you have screwed up enough opportunities, you had better get ready”. I slowly stood and got my bow in my hand. Gave a soft grunt, and heard the noise again, and then it stopped. Waiting, straining to hear, and caught movement through the brush about 80 yards in the direction I had been hearing the noise, just a flash of brown, was not even sure it was a deer. A few seconds later he appears across the fence, just where the creek makes the bend in the top of the picture. I take a quick look and decide immediately he is a mature shooter, probably an 8 pt, maybe a 10 ,but do not allow myself to look at his antlers again. He jumps the fence and moves towards me along the creek. At about 40 yards he turns toward the field, following a trail, and as he crests the ridge, spots the decoys. He stops for a few seconds looking intently, I give a soft, muffled grunt and he bristles and goes into the classic dominant posture and starts towards the decoys. He is at 30 yards, the outside edge of where I like taking a shot but practice at 40 regularly to make these shots easier. When he clears the brush for a clean shot at his vitals I mouth grunt to make his stop. I take the shot, he leg kicks and takes off past the decoys headed across the cut bean field. After a few seconds and about 50 yards, he slows, wobbles, and goes down!!!! My first KS buck after 6 years of trying and he goes down within sight and goes no more than 65 yards!!! I am ELATED!!!!!!
I give him a few minutes to make sure he is really expired, while I am texting my hunting buddies. My buddies ask how many points and I have to say " I have no clue, I never looked after the first glance, did not want to freak out"
10 minutes of no movement, confirmed no chest movement/ breathing by binocular, I climb down and approach. He is down for the count and has expired! Turns out he broke off part of his main beam on the right side but was/would have been a nice 8 pt. I was still stoked. The batteries were dead in my camera, and my phone died in the cold after the texts I sent so I did the best I could coaxing my buddy to get a decent LDP. Not a great pic but the best I ended up with.
Not a 170" KS toad but a very nice buck that I am very proud of.
CAN’T wait until next season!!
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